Sweet Cart Candy Shoppe Opens in Wading River

Sweet Cart Candy Shoppe guarantees a spoonful of sugar and a dash of nostalgia from the moment one walks through the door. The shop, which opened its doors in October, sells fudge, chocolate, gourmet treats and candy—some of which were popular in the 60s.

Vergara is a retired New York Police Department detective who worked in the Bronx for 20 years. After retiring in 2012, Vergara needed to “find [himself] and get back to being the happy, quirky, funny person that [he] was.” He saw an opportunity to open a business at The Shoppes at East Wind and took it.

Vergara can speak to the power candy has on childhood memories. Growing up in Puerto Rico, he would help out in his grandfather’s grocery store, which included his beloved candy section. He would often “help himself” to chick-o sticks, a honeycombed candy filled with peanut butter and rolled in toasted coconut. He made sure to include the treat in his shop.

image: www.facebook.com/sweetcartcandy

The store is now getting festive for the holiday season. It’s featuring a variety of holiday fudge flavors like gingerbread, and customizable baskets. Customers can pick out their choice of fudge, gourmet chocolates and other holiday treats for a personalized holiday gift.

Building on the success and positive feedback of Sweet Cart Candy Shoppe, Vergara hopes to expand and open up more locations. He also wants to start making and selling gingerbread houses and hosting birthday parties.

“My happiness is seeing the people come in with a smile and leave with an even bigger smile,” he said.